Only One Truth Prevails
by CrystalBookworm
Summary: Conan was never good at hiding it from Ran and one slip up would mean that Ran would be hot on his tail. But that wasn't even the problem. The problem was that everyone always found out the truth. After all, he always said, "Only one truth prevails."
1. Chapter 1

**Sky: I began with the English version of the names 'cause I was watching the English version of the anime, but then decided that more people would probably read this if it had Japanese names instead, so I changed. But I'm too lazy to change and re-download all of the other chapters, so if you want to start with Japanese names, start at Chapter 7. I might change the rest later on…..I dunno. Please bare with me!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Detective Conan/Case Closed. **

**Chapter One – Rachel**

_It's been too long, _I think. _Too long..._

I'm startled out of my dreamy state by Conan, who plops down next to me and starts reading a Sherlock Holmes book by Sir Arthur _Conan _Doyle. (Conan claims his dad was a fan of his books.)

Suddenly, I'm hit with realization: Jimmy loved his books too! In fact, he seemed obsessed with them at times; with the way he goes on and on about Sherlock Holmes and has every single book Sir Arthur Doyle wrote about him in his house.

His house. It's been so long since I've been in there. _Too long..._

Jimmy has disappeared for almost three months now. We had been at Tropical Land that day when he ran off, saying that he'll catch up with me later.

But he never did.

It wasn't until he was gone did I realize how much I missed him. He always had that self-centered aura around him, but he had always been there for me….ever since That day.

_We were five and had only been in kindergarten for a few months. Jimmy and I didn't know each other back then; we barely paid the other any attention at all, in fact – we had our own batch of friends to play with. Besides, we were the opposite gender and boys were determined to have "cooties" back then._

_ It was lunchtime and I had been allowed to buy lunch that day. But I couldn't._

_ Because my lunch money was gone._

_ I was brooding over my problem while we were walking single-filed to the cafeteria when I overheard something. Brett – a particular mean boy in our class (we hadn't learned the word "bully" yet) – was laughing about "borrowing" some money with his cronies (but we _had _learned about "cronies", apparently)._

_ "She's such an easy target," Brett was saying. "I mean, all you have to do is sit next to her and slip your hand into her bag; and, bingo! You have the money." This is getting weirder and weirder. "Maybe you can try it next time, Zeke." He nodded to a boy who was shaking his head frantically. "That's what I thought; I'm the only brave one around here." You're _also _the only dumb one. "Fine. It doesn't matter. Too bad she buys only once every six months or something. Do you think her family has financial problems?"_

_ They were laughing when they entered the cafeteria._

_ My face was burning with shame by then. I tried to distract myself from Brett and his gang, but with Serena – my best and only friend back then – sick with the stomach flu, it was just too hard to do._

_ Until Jimmy sat down next to me._

_ "I believe this belongs to you." He acted all business and professional-like when he slid something across the table to me; like we were making a transaction or something._

_ It was my lunch money._

_ "How did you –?" I began._

_ Jimmy shrugged. "I have my ways."_

_ He was a detective even back then, I realized years later._

_ "How can I thank you?" I was bubbling with delight that a boy who's never talked to me would help me. _

_ "Be my friend," Jimmy said simply._

_ It was a weird request – why would a guy in the center of attention want to become friends with a lonely girl; especially at the age of five? – but I fulfilled it nevertheless: Jimmy and I were inseparable ever since._

"Rachel? Rachel?" I blinked back to reality – _again _– to find Conan practically sitting on me; waving his arms wildly.

"Conan?" I mumbled.

"Oh, finally," Conan muttered to himself. "Your flashback took more time than usual, you know."

"Flashback?" I asked, confused.

"Yeah. You had that faraway look in your eyes."

"Really? How did you know?" That kid sometimes really surprises me.

"Because your eyes looked like they're focused on nothing and you looked like you were back in dreamland," Conan explained. "By the way; may I ask who you were daydreaming about?"

"Jimmy," I said dreamily. "I was remembering the day when we first met in kindergarten."

I saw a hint of recognition in Conan's eyes; but how could he remember something that happened before he was born – particularly since it was highly unlikely he was even there at the time? Besides, he's a relative of Dr. Agasa's – one of Jimmy's neighbors – whose parents are out of the country and left him with Dr. Agasa. But….. but….something still isn't right…..

"Rachel? Rachel?" It was Conan's voice – yet _again_ – and I realized that I had "wandered off" again.

"Sorry," I apologized.

Conan still seemed restless when I left him on the couch to wander around aimlessly.

I had been to my room and was halfway past the living room/Dad's office when something in Dad's trash bin caught my eye.

It's algebra written on a piece of notebook paper. They're some of the exact ones I learned in the beginning of the junior year; when Jimmy was still around.

I didn't know who wrote this or why, but I did know one thing right then and there:

The handwriting was almost identical to Jimmy's.

**Sky: R&R? Please?**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two – Conan**

Once Rachel was gone, I went into a great fit; throwing things around and yelling. I was just so frustrated that my _tiny, little _body couldn't take it anymore.

It had been _months _since I was Jimmy Kudo – the famous young detective – again. It seemed like a whole different life now – a dream.

"Conan?" It was Rachel.

I was startled at her voice and glanced around the room for her. _Damn! _I forgot to think of an alibi for this. Actually, I forgot all about logic.

Something _no _detective would simply "forget".

My old self was slipping away.

"Conan, what is this?" Rachel demanded.

"I was…frustrated," I mumbled.

Rachel seemed more confused than angry. "A little kid couldn't have done _this _much damage." Rachel raised an eyebrow at me.

I sighed. _Great, now she's picking up on my detective skills. Just what I needed right now, when I actually have some leads on the Black Organization._

"I had my soccer ball with me," I replied. Dr. Agasa had given me a soccer ball…. that was enhanced. It can shoot with amazing accuracy (no need for that with my soccer skills), deadly force (no need for that with my enhanced sneaker), explode on voice-command, come back to me when called, and retract to a small pin for convenience. (Okay, _much _need for the last three.) **[A/N: Okay. I know that his soccer ball doesn't do any of these things...I think...and that it comes out of a belt, but I just thought this would be cooler, ya know?] **I bounced the ball around a few times to show that it was actually with me and added a "sorry" to seal the deal.

Rachel just sighed. "I'm fine, I guess; but Dad'll put up a fit. I mean, look at this! You trashed his living room and office!"

"I was just trying to blow off some steam," I said defensively. "Besides, his 'office' is completely untouched." Except for all the beer and other alcohol-containing drinks tossed around carelessly by Richard Moore himself.

"Tell that to him, 'Rachel grumbled.

It was all I could do to keep myself from shouting out that I'm Jimmy just so I can laugh at her: touch, butt-kickin' karate Rachel scared of her dad? _That's _a first.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three – Rachel**

_Conan._

There could be no one else. Neither Dad nor I have handwriting even _close _to Jimmy's. In the end, I came up with three possibilities on why: a) Conan and Jimmy know each other and are secretly meeting; b) Conan has a scary ability of mimicking other people's handwritings; or c) Conan _is _Jimmy. Out of the three, the third one is – of course – the most ridiculous, but….

It seems like I have the most proof for that one.

I held the piece of paper in my hand as I marched back to Conan, but the demanding question immediately vanished once I saw the state of the room.

After we finished discussing the room, Dad decides to stagger home – leaving no time for me to interrogate Conan.

With all the incoherent blabbering coming from him, it was Conan who finally figure out what my dad was so happy about.

There was a sliver of fear in Conan's eyes, mixed in with a set look of determination; something I've never seen in a little kid before. Also, his jaw was set and hard and he looked _nothing _like an eight-year-old.

He reminded me of Jimmy.

"It pays a thousand a day," Dad was gushing. The money fanatic right there. "And all I have to do is present Miss Migano with new information every day, too. It's the best job I've gotten so far."

I sighed. That's my dad: a bragger, a laughing-stock who embarrasses me **everywhere**, a forty-six-year-old who falls for every "pretty" woman he meets – whether twenty or fifty, and a very good actor who plays detective while an eight-year-old solves his cases.

Wait a second! That's it! Dad ever solved a single one of his cases; it was always Conan!...but then how did the blundering idiot become so smart in the end?

Wait! That always happened when _Conan _looked like he might've thought of something.

And he was always gone when Dad explained his case in full.


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry this is taking me so long to update. :D Hope you enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Case Closed/Detective Conan belongs to...um..._, not me. **

**Chapter Four – Conan**

_Shiho. I need to tell her this._

Shiho Miyano had worked for the Black Organization. She was the one who developed the APTY 4896 drug; the one that's supposed to kill you but had a nasty side-affect and turned me small instead. Shiho took the drug – by choice – in an attempt at suicide after they killed her only sister.

But, instead – like me- she turned small.

Dr. Agasa found her and gave her the alias of Anita Hailey. She and Dr. Agasa are the only two who know my real identity. Shi…I mean, _Anita_, joined the Junior Detective Team; which consisted of my new-found friends George Kojma, Mitch Tsuburaya, and Amy Yoshida. They help me on some of my cases – mostly ones that don't involve Richard – but Anita – being a teen stuck in a child's body and therefore having more knowledge – is always the most help brain-wise.

"Hey Rachel," I said. "Can you hand me the phone?"

"You gonna call someone, Conan?" Rachel asked.

"Of course," I scoffed. _Really; she's such an idiot sometimes! I mean, why else would I want the phone?  
_"Um, sure." She handed me the phone, but when I was about to take it, she held it above my reach. "Don't you have your cell?"

I blushed. "Um….yeah. Forgot 'bout that. Sorry."

I hurried into my temporary bedroom and dialed Shiho's number, my foot tapping impatiently.

When she finally picked up Dr. Agasa's phone, I immediately began talking. "Richard'!"

There was a pause, and then: "Wait. _WHAT?_"

**Sorry it's so short. Having a hard time getting to the computer with all the homework my teachers are bombarding me with. :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Sky: So much homework. No time for writing.**

**Conan: Really? Can I do some of it?**

**Sky: You would do that? Arigatou gozaimasu!**

**Conan: [sweat drop] I wasn't serious. I'm only a little kid, ya know.**

**Sky: But you're not a little kid! You're Jimmy Kudo!**

**Conan: Jimmy Kudo? He's here? Where? Where?**

**Sky: [sweat drop] Okay. I stand corrected. Can you do the disclaimer, though?**

**Conan: What disclaimer?**

**Sky: Ugh. Rachel?**

**Rachel: Oh. So _now _you call me out? Jeez. Thanks. Really appreciate the scene.**

**Sky: Just do the disclaimer already so we can get on with the story!**

**Rachel: Sigh. Fine. CrystalBookworm does not own Case Closed/Detective Conan. [looks over at Sky] Happy?**

**Chapter Five - Shiho**

The miniature lab Dr. Agasa had created for me was an absolute mess. There were papers everywhere, half of the machines were still running, and I could see _plenty _of spilled chemicals.

As I started reorganizing all of my papers, I sighed. _Another day wasted with cleaning._

Suddenly, the phone rang.

With a huff, I dropped the stack on the table and scanned the room for the phone. No luck. I shouldn'tve been surprised, I guess, seeing as how _everything _was covered in paper.

On the fifth ring though, I found it lying on the floor by my computer. "Hello?"

The voice sounded like mini-Jimmy; Conan. He was talking so fast that I couldn't understand him. Then, just as I was about to interrupt, I hear something that catches my attention, and – just to let you know – the next thing said was completely not me: "Wait. _WHAT?_"

I heard an impatient sigh on the other end of the line.

"I thought Miss APTX 489 Inventor and Brainiac Chemist was supposed to be _smart_," Conan teased.

I gritted my teeth and tried desperately not to scream. I _so _didn't need this right now. My latest experiment on an antidote had failed….._again_. "I will give you one minute to explain what you had just said otherwise I'll hang up and return to my experiment."

Conan gave an exasperated sigh. "Richard'sbeenhired –"

"Stop," I interrupted. I paused for a moment before continuing. "_Slower_."

"Boy, you really _are _slow today, aren't you, Anita?"

"One minute or I'll hang up," I warned. Sometimes, this boy really gets me pulling my hair. Literally.

"Richard's." He paused.

"Conan."

"Been."

"_Conan_."

He just kept on going. "Hired."

"_Conan..._"

"To."

"Conan Edogawa," I warned.

"Spy." Spy? Really? That so-called detective doesn't even deserve his badge! He was a pile of nothing before Conan came along!

"On."

"Conan Edogawa. If you don't –"

"The." I would never admit this to Conan, but I was curious. Why "the"? Why not a name?

"Black." Oh.

"Organization." No.

"Conan!" And I swear to God that wasn't my voice. Because the next thing I heard was the door slamming open and the phone hanging up.

**Sky: Gomenasai! **

**Conan: For what?**

**Sky: For - you know what, I don't even wanna tell you.**

**Conan: Why shouldn't you tell me? I'm a very big part in this story!**

**Sky: And? Your point is?**

**Conan: My point? MY POINT?**

**Rachel: looks over at bickering people and shrugs R&R?**


	6. Chapter 6

**Sky: I think I said this before but I'm not sure – you can only expect a once-per-week update from me. I might be able to do more, depending on my schedule and how much my backpack weighs. Thanks for being so patient! Here's the sixth chapter and I am sooooooooo sorry it's so short (like so many of my other chapters :D)! Oh yeah. Disclaimer.**

**Conan: You could at least say 'please' you know. [balks under Sky's glare] CrystalBookworm does not own Detective Conan/Case Closed. **

**Chapter Six - Rachel**

I had _told _Conan not to blab about dad's secret investigations _hundreds _of times. Thankfully, it seemed like he was only talking to Amy or Anita.

But as I carried a squirming Conan back to the living room, I began to wonder: why was it so important to him to call his friends about the Black Organization? He never did that with any other of Dad's cases. Could they know something that I – or, more accurately, Dad – doesn't know…..?

As we entered the living room, I saw that Dad had his coat on and the door was already halfway open. "I'll hopefully be back before dinner, Rachel! Make me something good; I'll be hungry. I've got a lot of things to do with this new case."

When he said that, I saw Conan stick something onto my dad's briefcase "discreetly". Thinking it was just a prank, I let it go.

"Where are you going, Conan?" I asked, looking up from the noodles I was boiling for dinner. "Dinner's almost ready, you know."

"Y-yeah," Conan stammered. _Hmmm. Stammering, huh? I wonder why..._"I-I know. I just, um, have to go to Dr. Agasa's for awhile. He said he had some stuff for me."

Now I was confused. "Stuff? What stuff?"

"Uh, you know, just…stuff," Conan laughed – rather awkwardly, I thought.

"But how'd you know he wanted you to go over?"

Conan held up his cell phone.

"But I gave you that for emergencies only," I scolded.

"Yeah, but it's just Dr. Agasa's number, Rachel. What if I can't contact your or your dad?" He took a step over the threshold. "Don't save me dinner. I might be sleeping over." And then he was gone.

_Sheesh, _I thought, frustrated. _That kid's just like a miniature Jimmy. _I looked sadly down at the food I had so painstakingly prepared.

Just then, a memory of two years ago popped into my mind. Jimmy had left the exact same way – with lots of stammering and blushing – to reappear a few hours later with the best birthday present ever.

I smiled to myself. _Yup. Just like a mini-Jimmy._

**Sky: And now I'm off to finishing two papers. Wish me luck! [dies]**

**Conan: [looks at Sky's unmoving body and shrugs] R&R?**


	7. Chapter 7

**Sky: Those of you who prefer Japanese names….I've changed! Conan's still Conan and Dr. Agasa doesn't have another name but everyone else is going Japanese. And, like always :D, I'm **_**so **_**sorry for updating so slowly. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Detective Conan/Case Closed is not mine.**

**Chapter Seven – Conan **

I ran. I ran like I've never ran before. I didn't stop until my tiny, weak – did I mention weak already? – body couldn't run anymore.

I leaned against a corner of a building, panting and trying to catch my breath. _Phew. That was the closest one yet. _

It was hard and a pain to hide my real identity from Rachel. Unfortunately, it would be harder and even more painful if she found out now…

Dr Agasa's house is on the opposite side of street of my old house: the abandoned Kudo mansion.

"It took you long enough," Haibara **[A/N: He does call her Haibara, right? Just making sure. I don't watch the Japanese version; I like dubs better. :D] **complained as she opened the door. "I was ready half an hour ago."

"Ran's suspicious of me," I apologized.

"_Again_?" Haibara asked incredulously. "I thought you're supposed to be a detective. Aren't detective good at pretending to be someone they aren't or something like that?" She shook her head in exasperation. "I swear to God, Conan: someday, you'll blow our cover."

"Oh just shut up and lets go," I grumbled.

"Here's your skateboard, Shinichi," Dr. Agasa said, appearing behind the shrunken detective. "I've upgraded it so that it can conserve some solar energy so that it'll work for a while even after the sun is down. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to calculate just _how _much it saves, so don't –"

"Thanks doc!" I interrupted, grabbing my skateboard and running outside with Haibara at my tail.

I dropped it on the ground and stepped on. "Hang tight," I warned my passenger as I powered it up.

And then we were off.

_At this rate, I might even be able to be back to my old self before dinner's over. I bet Ran would be so glad to see me that she wouldn't even notice that I was mooching off of her._

**Sky: Well? Whatdya think? And if you say anything even **_**related **_**to the shortness, I won't post for 2-3 weeks. :D On the other hand…some good reviews might get me thinking a little quicker. shrugs Your choice. **


	8. Chapter 8

**Conan: [opens mouth]**

**Sky: Please don't even **_**start **_**with the complaining. **

**Conan: I was actually gonna do the disclaimer.**

**Sky: I never asked you.**

**Conan: Then ask me.**

**Sky: No.**

**Conan: I don't need your permission, you know. CrystalBookworm does not own Detective Conan, some random Japanese animation studio people do. **

**Chapter Eight – Haibara **

Let me just say something before I start screaming my head off: you should never, _ever _allow a shrunken high schooler on a solar-powered, high-speed skateboard. Don't say I didn't warn you.

Okay. _Now _it's time.

"Oh my God!" I shrieked. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" **[A/N: Sorry if she seems a bit OOC]**

"Um…skateboarding?" Just then, we came upon a sudden turn and when Coan veered left, I almost lost my balance and fell off of the skateboard.

"I told you to hang on." I _swear _could see that good-for-nothing shrunken teenage boy smirking as he navigated through the crowds.

I sighed, giving up. I knew it was pointless to argue with that boy when he's so hyped about a case. "Where are we going?"

Conan checked his glasses for the tracker. His hand fell to his side. _What's wrong? _"A….hospital?"

"No." _Oh God no! It _can't _be here! Keep on moving, Conan. _My mind was frantic as I tried to process all of my thoughts. I cam down to three main emotions: anger, frustration….and sadness?

"Huh." Conan kicked up his skateboard so he held it in his hand. "I thought this place is supposed to be a hospital."

"It used to be….until it burned down exactly ten years ago. Then it was built into a house. It's probably a-a-abandoned. That's…that's why they're using it." I had to choke out the last two sentences. _What am I _doing? _I just spilled everything! And without thinking, too! That boy's getting to me._

Conan looked at me, concern washing over his usually impassive detective mask. "Haibara…."

I nodded once – shortly.

"Can you….?"

"This was my house," I said simply.

**Sky: I hope all of my readers don't leave me…..**

**Conan: Are you talking to yourself again?**

**Sky: No. I'm just….thinking aloud to myself.**

**Conan: That's the same thing.**

**Sky: No.**

**Conan: What's the difference?**

**Sky:…**

**Conan: Hah! Point proven.**

**Sky: You're not the one who's flipping her head off wondering if her readers had just ditched her. Although you should probably worry a little yourself, since if they ditch **_**moi**_**, than they technically ditch you, too. [grins]**

**Conan: [panics] NOOOO! Don't leave! I'll prove it to you once they R&R!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Note: I tried to do his POV so that he sounded like the dumbass guy on the anime. Tell me if I did something wrong. This is an experiment here. Also, if there's any contradiction in this chapter, just please go with my way. It makes it a lot easier for everyone. **

**Disclaimer: Detective Conan/Case Closed isn't mine. If it was, Ran would've found out that Conan was Shinichi and it would've ended a **_**looooong **_**time ago. **

**Chapter Nine – Kogoro**

Just a few hours after I received my mission, I was given a load of information on the Black Organization. While Ran was blabbering about something with Conan, I had the perfect time to sort through everything.

I finally got a location and was about to leave when the kids reappeared. _Damn. I wanted to leave discreetly; like one of those spies on TV. _I decided to go with the next best thing and shouted a quick goodbye before shutting the door. Unfortunately, that annoying brat just _had _to run and put a sticker on my briefcase, ruining the perfectly good rush-out scene.

My car was old and dented and could barely start. With all the money I'm earning, though, I'll be able to buy a brand-new, shining mini-Cooper in no time.

Traffic was slow but I managed to get to the destination in good time. _Maybe I won't even have to miss dinner..._

The place was dark and weeds were crawling inside. Definitely abandoned, I concluded.

I took a step inside. CREAK!

_Don't panic. Deep breaths. Good. It was nothing; just some bugs. _CRASH! _The information's here, Kogoro. Think of the information. And all the money. Yes. The money and the flying Pegasus you'll buy afterwards. _**[A/N: Sorry. I just **_**had **_**to put that in there. It came to my mind earlier and I was like "OMG! That just has to go in!" So I put it in. You think it works well with him? :D] **_Think of that. _

I finally reached the top of the stairs. The paper said it was in the science room. And, even with the abandonment, I immediately recognized it from the spilled bottles and chemicals.

It's all in the computer, the paper said. I looked around, my heart falling as I did so.

There was no computer.

I didn't want the kids to think I was a failure, though, so I needed to pass some time.

Sighing, I randomly picked up an open notebook. I expected it to be in "chicken scratch" on science stuff but soon recognized it to be page after page of history notes. [It was a history notebook.] A history notebook for _school_. I flipped to the first page, trying to find a name. I squinted my eyes in the dark room, tilting the notebook so it was under the small stream of sunlight.

Miyano Shiho.

I smiled to myself. I was in the right place.

**Sky: I had a **_**lot **_**of fun writing this chapter. :D RnR, please?**


	10. Chapter 10

**Sky: Gomenasai! I really, really hope you like this. I had to go on a week-long vacation to visit my uncle up in Canada and stuff and it was F-U-N! But I basically didn't have a chance to touch a computer for a week. So, without further ado...**

_**Conan POV**_

Don't get me wrong: I felt really bad bringing Haibara to her old, abandoned home. But I had bigger issues and – unfortunately – I'm not very good with girls….of any age _or _size (just look at how Ran and I turned out).

So I asked her a simple question: "Do you want to go back?"

She stared at me like I was insane (Was I?). "Baka! Are you _mad_? I could barely recognize this place; there's no way you'll be able to find your way in there without my help!"

"It…it doesn't look _too_ bad," I observed, peering around the house, trying to get a better view.

"Let's go," Haibara ordered, nodding towards the wooden door and the giant hole that had been smashed right through the middle.

Being the all-famous teenage detective (not to brag or anything), I knew that she didn't want to go to help me – in fact, she looked like she was about to wet herself; a first for Miss Einstein – but I didn't want to press it and simply stepped carefully through the splintering wood.

Weeds were overrunning the place and had reached almost every single available space within the house.

"It looks okay," I assured Haibara. "I mean, other than the fact that everything is smashed to pieces and that there's more weeds than plants here," I amended quickly, seeing the look on her face.

"It looks horrible," Haibara said softly. So softly, in fact, that I could barely hear her and had a strong feeling she was talking to herself. "It used to be beautiful. Mom had hand-picked everything with the utmost care. She was very into antiques, you know. When we had just bought the place, she kept on trying to drag A..Ak-kemi and me along to help. I….I wish I would've gone more willingly." She paused for a moment and suddenly turned to face me, her mouth forced into a weird-looking smile. "It's amazing what life does to you when you're not looking, huh?" She shrugged, trying to look nonchalant and failing miserably. "I guess that's what fate is: the unexpected turns that form one hell of a car ride."

I think I've mentioned this before, but I'm not good with girls, okay? I mean, I've liked Ran for ages now and still can't come out and say it (although I'm starting to regret it more each day I'm in this puny body). Haibara wasn't any different: I tried choking out a "H-Haibara…."

But then she said, "Never mind that, Kudo. Where are we going?"

It was then that I finally remembered that were here because Kogoro was. I fiddled with the controls on the side of my glasses a bit before finally locating where the tracking sticker was.

"Well?" Haibara demanded impatiently, crossing her arms and tapping her foot. "That thing _does _work, right?"

"Yeah," I said. "He's….upstairs."

We had to be silent as we moved through the house – just in case; we didn't want to take any chances, not even with an idiot detective – so it took as a while to reach the stairs. It took us even longer to climb them, for the house was old and each step creaked increasingly louder.

I was just about to turn the corner when I was yanked back by Haibara. "What are you doing?" I hissed. I had a perfectly-formulated plan in my head, but if I paused for too long, it was evaporate.

"Tell me what room he's in. We can't talk when we get too close, otherwise even an idiot like him will notice us."

"It's the rightmost one."

Haibara suddenly paled. "That one?" She pointed past the railing to the door that was closest to us.

I double-checked my GPS glasses. "Yeah."

"That's….that's _my_ room."

Suddenly, we heard a joyful shout from said room. It was followed by a lot of thumping and creaking of floorboards – probably Kogoro celebrating, I concluded.

Which meant that he had found something.

I turned to my companion. "What's in your room?"

"Nothing of importance," Haibara said vaguely. "Some leftover chemicals, a few unfinished experiments, loose note paper that he'll definitely not be able to understand, the stuff I had as a child…..nothing he would find useful, unless….." Her eyes suddenly widened.

"Unless what, Haibara?" I prompted.

"My computer. After I had joined the organization, I had vowed that I would never come back here. But I needed to. Just once."

"What happened?"

"The organization wanted me to find 'anything useful'. I think they knew that I had something store in my computer."

"Surely you weren't already….?" My voice trailed off, the question lingering in the air.

"No," Haibara assured me. "But I _had _begun experimenting already. Some of them went well and others….not so well."

"And what did you test these experiments on?" I had a hunch but I needed proof.

"Lab rats. You could buy them by the dozen really cheap at this store downtown."

"And what were the….unfavourable results?"

"One died."

"No shrinking?"

"I only tested that experiment once. I was still a girl back then, even if I was already a scientist. And I just couldn't stand the sight of more animals dying – even if they _were _just rats – for my experiment; it was just some fun I had to pass the time, anyways."

"So what was the actual intent of these 'fun experiments'?"

Haibara looked thoughtful. "I…I'm really not exactly sure. It's been such a long time. I can't remember, Kudo."

"But is there a possibility that you might've wanted to design a shrinking drug?"

"Shrinking? Yeah, I don't see why not." Haibara paused for a moment and then realized what I meant by that. "But there's no way that's connected to the Apotoxin 4869 I developed – that was, like, ten years later."

"Did you store the….recipes for these experiments anywhere?"

Haibara sighed. "My computer, Kudo. Why else do you think I mentioned it? I recorded all of the data and put them in my computer hard drive."

"So do you think Kogoro –?"

A door slammed open. "A_ha!_"

Oh crap.

**Sky: If you haven't noticed already, I luuurv cliff hangers. :D Hope you come back and check on this soon! For once, I actually have most of chapter 10 planned out already! Yay for me! **


	11. Chapter 11

_**Kogoro POV**_

**Sky: I know I haven't done this in a while and please don't sue me, but I DO NOT OWN Detective Conan! Just FYI. **

"This is perfect!" I exclaimed, punching the air with my fist in joy. I did a little dance, since I had come so far so fast. _And without that little brat messing up everything, too_, I secretly thought with delight. "Maybe I can go to that new ramen shop downtown and still be able to make it back before they finish dinner. We're running low on Red Bull **[A/N: Do Japanese people drink Red Bull?]** anyways, so I might as well pick up some. Besides, I think Ran's baking a double-chocolate-chunk cake with chocolate frosting and pieces of extra chocolate bars on top…" **[A/N: If you haven't already noticed, I 3 3 3 chocolate! :D]**

As I stopped my movement, I heard some sort of hushed whispering coming from the other side of the door. And by the sounds of it….

"Damn those kids," I grumbled. "Can't even go to an abandoned house without being followed. Just wait until they see how Mouri Kogoro deals with pests like – A_ha_!" I stopped suddenly. I had just opened the door and there was….nothing. Well, no _one_.

I shrugged, puffing up my chest. "Ha! No one can follow Mouri Kogoro around so easily, much less little brats."

Back in the room, I hurried to the messy, paper-covered desk. I had found the notebook lying on a lab table, but concluded that most of them would be in the desk.

I was rewarded a few moments later when I pulled open the bottom drawer to a teetering pile of old notebooks. The pages were yellow and the handwriting – mostly pencil – faded. Each had the name _Miyano Shiho _written in the front cover. I wasn't quite sure what exactly was I looking for in these notebooks: it's not like they'd have any of the stuff in the computer…..right?

Frantically, I began sorting them into two piles: boring schoolwork and interesting science notes.

The Miyano girl must've been a scientist, by the looks of all those chemical formulas. And an experimental scientist at that.

The information on the Black Organization was said to have been in the computer, since Miyan supposedly worked for them. But Miyano was their drug developer, so if I could find something on _that_…

The next notebook was titled "New Chemical Formulas, Their Uses and Developments".

"This could be promising," I mused, pocketing the notebook. As I was doing so, I caught a glimpse of my watch. "Damn! I'm gonna be late for dessert!" I snatched my briefcase and sprinted down the stairs.

As I was getting into the car, I caught a flash of red and a skateboard in my rearview mirror.

**Sky: RnR?**


	12. Chapter 12

_**12 - Ran POV**_

**Disclaimer: CrystalBookworm does NOT own Detective Conan/Case Closed.**

I tapped my foot; more in annoyance than anything, really. My arms were crossed over my chest and my eyes glared down. "You're late."

He whimpered. "Yes but –"

"I spent a full hour preparing a lovely meal for you" – I thrust my hand at the full plates on the table – "and you come home _late_. If you had _told _me that you were going to be late, I might've made less food. That way, you could've come home as late as you wished and partied _all night_."

"I got back in time for dessert," he tried feebly.

"Dessert?" I couldn't believe him: I had been waiting for half an hour without a word from him and all he cared about was _dessert_? "Is that the only thing you care about? Then maybe I shouldn't give you any so you'll remember next time!"

"Ran –"

"You have a phone! Why didn't you call?" I practically shrieked. I knew I was getting too worked up over such a small issue, but maybe because that insolent, self centered (and _maybe _incredibly hot) detective hasn't called for a while….

"CONAN'S HERE!" Dad exclaimed suddenly, pointing at the first grader **[A/N: I think he's in first grade…right? Somewhere around there, anyways] **who sat on the other side of the table. He looked up at me innocently, his eyes unblinking. He didn't look bored exactly, but he _did _seem pretty hungry to me.

"And?"

"Wasn't he late?" Dad asked, confused.

"And why would he be?"

"Because…didn't he go out?"

"Well…yes," I admitted, "but it was to buy me some baking supplies: I hadn't even realized we'd run low. If it wasn't for _him_, your beloved cake wouldn't have been here." I arched an eyebrow, curious. "And how did you even know that he'd left? He left after you and came back before."

"Um….because…I just do? Because the famous Mouri Kogoro knows everything!" He puffed out his chest.

I sighed and indicated to his chair. "If you sit down and don't talk, maybe I'll feed you something."

Dad obediently took his seat at the head of the table. "Now if you could get me some win, Ran –" I placed a bowl and chopsticks in front of him. "Hey! This is half of what I usually get!"

"Genta-kun came over. And you're not getting any wine today (I think we need some more, anyways). Now eat up and don't complain anymore."

I looked over at Conan, who had already finished his food. "Would you like some dessert, Conan-kun?"

Conan shook his head. He looked distracted for some reason. "No thanks, Ran-neechan. I think I'll go up to my room now." Before waiting for an assent, he pushed back his chair, jumped down, and disappeared up the stairs.

"So can I have his piece _and _mine? Since he's not going to eat any, it'll be a waste so –"

"No," I interrupted. "I'm wrapping this up and bring it over to Haibara and Dr. Agasa; it doesn't seem like they get dessert a lot, what with the Doc cooking and everything."

"I'll come with you, Ran-neechan," Conan said, suddenly appearing behind me. "I wanted to go over anyways."

"Um…okay. Do you mind holding the plate for a while, Conan? I need to get my jacket on and, well…"

"No problem, Ran-neechan." He took the plate from me.

_Such a sweet kid, _I thought as I closed the door behind me.

Conan walked a little bit ahead of me; his eyes focused only on the destination and his short legs pumping themselves very fast.

"You can slow down, Conan," I called. "We're not in any hurry and the cake might fall."

"Gomen, Ran-neechan," Conan apologized. "But if we slow down more, the cake will probably be half-melted by the time we get to Dr. Agasa's house."

"Now how can you be so sure?"

"Because all of the metal poles we've passed so far have been evaporating steam. The melting point for phosphorous is 44°C…and it's the lowest of all metals. Therefore, our chocolate wouldn't stand a chance against the sun. Besides, I checked the weather predictions this morning and it said the highest would be 40°C." **[A/N: I know that's not very real, but please bare with me here. After all, animes/cartoons aren't always 100% true.]**

"And how would you know all this?"

"I saw it on the Discovery Channel (or the Japanese version of that)," Conan answered promptly.

"But aren't you always reading at home?"

"I watch it with Professor Agasa and Haibara," he said quickly.

"Speaking of which, here we are: the den of the scientists." It was true: Haibara did seem to have a knack for science…and Professor Agasa had a knack for making things explode.

Professor Agasa opened the door. "Oh hi, Ran-kun, Conan-kun. Come in, please."

"We brought you some cake, Doc," Conan said, putting the plate on the kitchen table. "Where's Haibara?"

"Down here," the solitude girl answered, appearing beside a door that seemed to lead down towards the basement.

"I didn't know you had a basement, Professor," I said.

"Storage space," Professor Agasa replied simply. 'Haibara was just helping me move some of my….experiments."

"Ah," I said understandingly. "I see. Conan, we should go now. We don't want to interrupt the Professor at his work."

"Can Haibara come over tomorrow, Ran-neechan?" Conan asked suddenly. "After school, of course," he added quickly.

I shrugged. "I don't see why not."

"Thanks, Ran-neechan!"

We said a quick goodbye to the two and hurried home under the orange and red of the setting sun that enveloped us in a giant heating blanket. **[A/N: Pretend that they had dinner early, okay?]**

**Sky: RnR? Please? C'mon. I updated earlier….I think. :D**


	13. Chapter 13

_13 – Ayumi POV_

**Ayumi: I'm back!**

**Conan: You were never here! **_**I'm **_**back.**

**Ayumi [pouts]: You don't have to be so mean, Conan.**

**Haibara [nudges Conan and whispers]: Yeah. Otherwise your girlfriend will be mad.**

**Conan [confused[: How does Ran fit into this?**

**Haibara: Um…she doesn't?**

**Conan [eyes widen in ****horror**** surprise]: You mean that **_**you **_**like me?**

**Haibra [hits herself in the head]: No, you idiot.**

**Conan [thoroughly confused]: Then who?**

**Haibara [ready to pull her hair out]: AYUMI!**

**Ayumi [pleasantly]: Yes?**

**Haibara: Never mind. Go...play. [Ayumi runs off to steal Genta and Mitsuhiko's Junior Detective League badges]**

**Conan: But why'd you pick Ayumi?**

**Sky [gets up from where she was sitting with a jumbo-sized bucket of popcorn]: I **_**wanted **_**to watch the show, but apparently, I can't even get any entertainment from fiction characters (that I modified), so I'm just going to ask for the disclaimer. Anyone? (Oh, and aren't you all proud of me for posting sooner...I think? :D)**

**Haibara [raises hand]: Me! Me! CrystalBookworm does not own any Detective Conan/Case Closed and 'tunderstandwomen**

"You should turn around before Sensei sees you, Genta-kun," I advised, not looking up from my project.

Genta had turned around in his seat so he could admire my handiwork. "You're good at this, Ayumi. How are you doing it?"

"You're just sticking a bunch of sticks into a chunk of clay," said a bored voice, "who _can't_ do that?" It was Conan and he had already finished his spiky ball.

"How are you making it stand up?" Genta asked.

Conan's ball was staying perfectly upright. "Like this: Once you finish it, you take a small piece of clay, flatten it, and carefully place your sticks on it."

"Or you can make legs for each stick that will be touching the ground," a new voice suggested. It was Ai-chan and she had finished too. "I wrapped little bits of clay on the ends of the stick that would be touching the gournd. You'd have to flatten the bottom of each one, though. You see, if it is heavier, it'll most likely go to the bottom. This way, your ball stays still _and _it looks better."

"I knew that," Conan grumbled. "But my way was easier."

"I did it your way first. But then I finished it really early so I decided to make it better. Besides, don't you think that –?"

I gritted my teeth and turned my attention back to the almost-finished ball in front of me, trying to tune out the 'friends' who were 'arguing' with each other just two feet away. At first, I believed Conan when he said that he and Ai-chan were "just friends", but now I have my doubts.

"This is hard," I fake-complained. It really wasn't – actually, I would've been done already if I wasn't trying so hard to get Conan's attention.

Immediately, Mitsuhiko, who was sitting behind me, moved into the empty seat next to me and began to stick the rest of the sticks into the clay ball. "I'll finish this for you, Ayumi."

"No I'll do it," said Genta suddenly, turning around and knocking my art project out of Mitsuhiko's hands and onto the floor. Both boys immediately fell onto the floor, trying to pick up the ball but just stabbing themselves with the points and breaking half of the sticks.

I looked up hopefully at Conan, but he had his head bent over and was whispering with Ai-chan. I sighed. "Never mind. I think I've got the hang of it now. I'll just make a new one; we've got plenty of time, anyways."

"If we get home fast enough, maybe we'll be able to play some soccer," Genta exclaimed.

"Yeah," Mitsuhiko agreed. "We didn't get a lot of homework today so we should be able to have some free time left."

I debated myself in my head. On the one hand, we really didn't have any homework. And besides, there's nothing to do at home: Masked Yaiba doesn't come on until around seven.

_But what if Conan doesn't want to go?_ The other voice in my head pointed out nastily.

He'll want to, I thought positively. I'm sure of it.

_But what if he doesn't?_

Well that won't matter because he will. Conan **loves** soccer.

_But maybe he's got something else to do._

Like what? We're in first grade! **[A/N: They are, right?]**

_Like hanging out with Haibara._

He won't! Ai-chan and Conan-kun will tell us. Besides, they're usually only together when they're with the rest of us.

But I wasn't so confident anymore.

"Conan-kun," I said suddenly. "What do you think?"

Conan turned from where he was conversing quietly with Ai-chan – the fourth time today, which I found _extremely _annoying – and looked quite startled. "Um…about what, Ayumi?"

"Soccer."

"Oh…that. Well, I'd love to but I had just invited Haibara over."

"We can all go," Mitsuhiko said immediately. Thank you Mitsuhiko! "Ran-neechan's cooking's amazing and we can go play soccer afterwards."

"Um….but we've already sorted everything out," Conan added – rather hastily, really. "I had already gotten an 'okay' from Dr. Agasa and Ran-neechan. Gomen."

Genta sighed. "And I was really starting to imagine the food, too…."

"All you every think about is food," Mitsuhiko teased.

I forced my face into a smile. "That's okay, Conan! We can play soccer some other time. See you tomorrow!"

And, without waiting for a reply, I sprinted across the street just as the light changed red. I didn't bother to wait for Mitsuhiko and Genta as I ran down the sidewalk, trying to get the last image out of my head.

**Sky: Conan and Haibara will not be appearing until the next chapter because they just had an accident and – **

**Conan [appears]: Who just had an accident?**

**Sky: *Oh crap…* Never mind, Conan. Would you do the honors?**

**Conan [rolls his eyes]: *Honors. Yeah right.* Of course Sky! Read and Review, please? It'll help me – **

**Sky: A**_**hem**_**.**

**Conan [points to Sky]: Her *whatever* think. Thanks! *Not really***


	14. Chapter 14

**Sky: I know this story hasn't gotten anywhere yet. Mostly. But I don't want it to slam it all in your face in just one chapter. I like doing things slowly, you know? But something's actually happening in this chapter. Yay me!**

**Disclaimer: And no, I do not own Detective Conan/Case Closed. But just in case you thought I did, I don't.**

_14 – Ran_

"I'm home!" I heard a voice call from the entrance (I was in the kitchen making snacks).

"Hai, Ran-neechan!" came Conan's sweet, kid-like voice. "Haibara's with me. We'll be upstairs in my room if you need anything."

I hastily wiped my hands on a towel and stepped past the doorway leading to the kitchen. "Do you kids want any snacks? I'm in the middle of making some right now."

"Sure. Thanks, Ran-neechan!" Conan dropped his backpack by the door and dashed up the stairs two-at-atime.

Haibara followed at a much slower (and calmer) pace. She had her hands stuck in her pockets and was glancing around the room aimlessly.

"Is something the matter, Haibara?" I ventured. I had always thought the quiet girl to be quite…._intriguing _and somewhat hard to approach; only Ayumi's on a first-name basis with her.

Haibara looked up, startled, as if I had just interrupted her train of thought. "No, I'm fine. Gomen." And then she ducked her head, hiding her face from view by her brown hair, and moved steadily faster up the stairs.

I hurried back into the kitchen and finished making the food. I piled them all on a plate and went to bring them upstairs.

"Your food's ready," I announced as I pushed open Conan's door.

Conan was sitting on the edge of his bed with his knees drawn up to his chin. He looked deep in thought. Hiabra had adopted a more composed look; she was sitting on the rug with her legs crossed, her body turned so she was face-to-face with Conan. Her mouth was open, as if she was just about to speak.

"Er…I have your snacks," I said. It seemed that my presence in the room made everything feel quite awkward.

"Arigatou, Ran-neechan," Conan said distractedly. "Just put it on the table."

"You can stay over if you want, Haibara," I blurted out suddenly.

"Are you sure?" Haibara asked.

"Of course I'm –" I began, surprised that the girl would even ask such a thing.

"Positive," Conan said firmly.

_Oh. So they're continuing that top-secret discussion they had before I interrupted them_. I closed the door behind me and started to descend the stairs when I paused. I had finished all of my homework and there was nothing else for me to do (Dad had gone out early this morning because he "had something to check on"). Besides, what could some first-grader be talking about?

I pressed my ear to the door, careful not to make a sound.

"But it could just be a hoax," Haibara suggested. "I mean, do you have any _proof _that –"

"So you still think that?" Conan demanded. He sounded angry. "You still think that they were just joking around? When you know that they can commit murder – and have the intention to do just that? Get a grip, Haibara! You're more logical than that!"

"I'm just saying that –"

"Just because your family died at their hands doesn't mean mine needs to too!" Conan was practically screaming by then. I never knew that a little kid could become so angry, especially someone like Conan who always seemed so sweet and….innocent, I guess.

There was a sudden silence. Even I knew Conan had hit a nerve. _What happened to Haibara's parents?_

"It wasn't like I didn't try to save them," Haibara finally said, so softly that I could barely hear her through the door. "Good luck, meitantei."

The door swung open so suddenly that I only had time to move my face back enough so it didn't slam into me. Thankfully, Haibara seemed too distracted to question me.

"Is something wrong?" I asked. Again.

Haibara shook her head. "I'm fine. I just remembered that…ah, Dr. Agasa needed me home tonight. I can't stay. Gomen." And then she was gone.

I peered inside Conan's room. He had shifted his position so he was now lying on his back with his arms crossed behind his head.

"Life is such a crazy time, ne?" he whispered. I got the feeling that he wasn't exactly talking to me.

"Conan?" I asked tentatively.

Conan flipped around so he was propped up on his elbows. "Hai, Ran-neechan?"

When I said his name, I was more of trying to make my presence known than strike up a conversation, but now that I got his attention…. I had nothing to talk about. "Ano…do you miss your parents?"

"My parents?" For a second, I saw a look of confusion cross his face, but it was quickly covered by his sweet smile.

"Yeah. You haven't seen them for a while, right? Don't you miss them at all?"

To my surprise, he shrugged. "Not really." What? "I mean, they leave me alone a lot of times."

"They leave a _seven-year-old boy _**home alone**?" I demanded, my voice raising without my knowing.

"Not _alone _alone," Conan added quickly. "They leave with my family or friends while they're traveling. I haven't been to Dr. Agasa's for a while now because we have family members living closer, but they were on vacation so I got dropped off here."

I didn't like this one bit. "Do they leave you alone a lot?"

"I see them every year," Conan said defensively. "And it's not like they forget about me; they send me presents for holidays and stuff and souvenirs from the places they've visited, along with postcards and letters. Besides, I'm pretty used to it now."

"So they _do _dump you as soon as possible and take off."

"They're really busy, Ran-neechan. And besides, I think they're probably working for most of the time."

"Oh really?" Conan nodded vigorously. "What do they do then, Conan-kun?"

"Uh….I…don't know?" He shrugged for effect. "I'm only seven, Ran-neechan. I don't pay attention to these things; I like to play." Something tells me that he doesn't just play –if he plays at all – during his free time.

"Okay. Finish up your homework before dinner, alright?" I smiled sweetly at him and closed the door behind me as I left the room.

I then headed into my room on the second floor **[A/N: There's three floors…right? Because in one of the movies, it said there were three floors…I think. Anyways, just pretend there's three and go along with it, kay?]**, where I sat down in front of my desk.

Who else do I know that doesn't see their parents often because they're overseas?

My eyes landed on the picture in the center of the desk.

**Sky: Well? What do you think? RnR, please?**

**Conan: What does 'RnR' stand for?**

**Sky [jumps]: Where'd you come from?**

**Conan: What do you mean where did I come from?**

**Sky: Never mind. **

**Conan: Well?**

**Sky: Well what?**

**Conan: Well what does RnR stand for?**

**Sky: As if you don't know!**

**Conan: ….But I **_**don't**_** know.**

**Sky: You said it before!**

**Conan: That was before. This is now. So?**

**Sky: Please excuse us while I bang some sense into him. Thank you. Come back next time (if you don't see Conan, you'll know that he's 'okay'.)**


	15. Chapter 15

**Conan: I can't believe you progressed so far; chapter fifteen already!**

**Sky: What do you mean?**

**Conan: [mumbles something]**

**Sky: WHAT did you say?**

**Conan: Well….I kinda thought that you wouldn't get past chapter 5….**

**Sky: [explodes]**

**Ayumi: [checks out fireworks] Is that Sky?**

**Conan: [scoffs] Of course it's the sky; what else is above us?**

**Ayumi: No, I mean the writer Sky. And besides, nothing's above us. Not unless Sky puts something above us.**

**Sky: [floating down to the ground in pieces] I want a cinderblock on top of Conan!**

**Conan: [gets squished by said object] Ow.**

**Ayumi: See?**

**Haibara: What did I miss?**

**Sky: Nothing.**

**Conan: [at the same time] Everything**

**Haibara: [shrugs] CrystalBookworm does not own Detective Conan/Case Closed, whatever Japanese animation does (we don't even know what animation created the canon?) Enjoy!**

**Conan: Don't enjoy! I want her to suffer. [laughs evilly until eaten by shark]**

**Sky: You were saying? (Oh and sorry about the….has it been a month already? Wow. I really gotta get cracking on this story.)**

_15 – Dr. Agasa_

"I'm home," Haibara announced, quietly dropping her bag on a chair.

"I thought you were staying over Conan's for the night," I said, not looking up from my work.

"I decided to come back," she said shortly, plopping down on the couch. She turned on the TV and just sat there.

I was used to this kind of behavior and continued with repairing Shinichi's solar-powered skateboard (it had gotten run over by a car during his last case). But after almost two hours, I realized that Haibara hadn't moved even an inch and her eyes were still glued to the screen. "Ai-kun?"

No reply.

"Ai-kun?" I repeated, a little louder this time.

No answer.

"Ai-kun?" I tried again.

Still no reply.

I got up and hurried over to her. I breathed a sigh of relief when I found her still alive – just asleep. But her position troubled me: she had her knees drawn up to her chin and her arms wrapped tightly around them. Her hands, however, had formed tight, clenched-up fists that would not pry open no matter what I did. And what was even more curious was that she almost tipped sideways in the same rigid position – and would've done exactly that had I not pushed her back.

But what I found most intriguing were the large, wet tears rolling down her cheeks.

I had never seen Ai-kun cry before.

Her eyelids suddenly popped open and I was staring into stormy grey-blue eyes. **[A/N: They looked grey-blue and the 'hai' part of her name apparently means ash or grey, so it all fits]** They were deep and dark with secrets and worries.

"Professor?"

"Hai, Ai-kun?"

"Why are you staring at me? And so close?"

I blinked. I was so mesmerized by the intensity of the child's eyes (even though I knew that she really wasn't a child) that I hadn't realized that I'd been staring. I backed away and bumped into the chair behind me, hurting my leg. Then I hopped around the room, trying to not put any weight on my injured leg.

Haibara sighed. "Professor?"

I finally managed to sit down in a chair. "Hai?"

Haibara shook her head. "Never mind." She stood up and stretched. "I'm going to bed."

I glanced at the clock. "This early?"

"I have homework to do." I knew it was a lie though because Ai-kun always took only about five minutes – max – to finish her homework **[A/N: Japanese homework is hard. I know because I've been on an exchange program to Japan before] **when she wanted too. She was, after all, a genius at the age of only eighteen. **[A/N: She looks around early twentyish, but I figured she should be more of a genius]**

"But what about dinner? Did you eat there?"

"I'm not hungry."

"Ai-kun –"

"I'm busy," Haibara interrupted, grabbing a notebook from her backpack and heading up the stairs. She poked her head around once more. "Can you please not bother me? I have things to do and I'd like to concentrate." And then her head disappeared and a few seconds later, I could hear the slamming of her door.

I sighed and picked up the phone.

**Sky: Sorry it's so short, but as you might've been able to tell, this is more of a filler chapter than anything else. More interesting things are gonna happen in the next chapter…hopefully (whenever I get that finished).**

**Conan: Does that mean that I can actually be a detective?**

**Sky: You **_**are **_**a detective….just a shrunken one.**

**Conan: But I haven't really done any detective work since the beginning of this story.**

**Sky: Are you telling **_**me **_**what to write?**

**Conan [reflects on what happened earlier and madly shakes his head]: No. Do whatever you like. But can I make a **_**suggestion **_**that –**

**Sky: I place 'suggestion' and 'order' under the same category, just FYI. [smiles] You were saying?**

**Conan [sighs defeated]: RnR please? Maybe if there's enough of them, she'll actually let me **_**do **_**something.**

**Sky: Suggestion…**

**Conan: *Runs away***

**Sky: *Chases after him***

**Ran *appears*: Did I miss something?**


	16. Chapter 16

**Sky: Oh. My. God. I am sooooooo sorry! Has it been three months already? Please don't leave! I have excuses (Okay, not very good ones…still!) I had this chapter (and the next few) planned out….mostly, but my mind kinda went blank every time I tried to write it. That and the fact that my computer's still being an idiot and it crashed once, randomly shut down twice, and then I got kicked out of Word **_**five times**_**. Gomenasai! I'm also moving**_**…**_**well, technically, I'm****going to camp while my parents do the**_** actual **_**moving, which means I have to have my room stripped of everything by the end of this week. So don't expect an update before the end of July, but then I'm going to China in the beginning of August so…yeah. Not gonna be doing much until school starts again. **

_16 – Conan_

_Vrrr! Vrrr! _**[A/N: Is that like a vibrating sound? Well, it's supposed to be anyways]**

It was 8pm. Who could possibly want to call a seven-year-old at a time like this? I looked down at my cell phone. It was vibrating on my desk. The flashing words on the screen read .

I flipped it open. "Moshi moshi?"

"Shinichi?" Yup. It was definitely the doc.

"What's wrong? Are you hurt? Is Haibara home?"

"Nothing's wrong," the doc said, sighing. After a pause, he added, "With me, anyways."

"Is the house burning? Are you out of electricity? Food? Money? I could –"

"I'm not the richest guy in the world, but I have quite enough money to support an old grandpa and a first grader, thank you very much," the doc interrupted.

Now I was confused. "So what's the problem?"

"Ai-kun. She's being really weird. What happened?"

Of course. After bringing her family – her _sister _– up so casually like that, I wasn't too surprised. "It doesn't matter." I paused and glanced at my computer. "Listen. Can you tell her to meet me in front of the Beika Hotel **[A/N: I think that was mentioned in an episode. I just need a random hotel]** tomorrow at 10am?"

"Tomorrow's a Thursday."

"So?" I scoffed. "It's not like I've never attended my…hundred and sixteenth day of first grade yet, ne?"

"True…"

"Okay. _Oyasuminasai_ ***goodnight***, doc."

"_Chotto matte_ ***wait a minute/moment***, Shinichi –"

"_Arigatou_ ***thanks***." I hung up and collapsed onto my desk. Who knew that a repeated life as a first grader would be so hard?

"Daijoubu ***are you ok***, Conan-kun?" Ran asked, peering inside.

"Daijoubu daiyo ***yes (something happened but I'm okay)***."

"Well you better get to bed," Ran said. "It's almost 9pm. Don't you have school tomorrow?"

"Hai," I complied, kicking off my slippers and shrugging off the large sweater of Uncle Mouri's I'd taken to wearing around the house. Then I slid into my bed.

"_Oyasumi_, Conan-kun," Ran said, turning off the light as she closed the door.

As soon as I heard the door click, I let out a sigh of relief. Ran's been _way _too nosy these days for her own good. Maybe I should just tell her my secret so I don't have to keep on avoiding her, I thought.

But I drifted off to sleep before I could go very far with that idea.

I tapped my foot impatiently as I waited behind the bush near the front entrance of Beika Hotel. I knew I was a bit early, but usually Haibara arrived a few minutes before too.

"You know, that's a very bad hiding place," a voice whispered right beside my ear. If I hadn't been trying to be so cautious, I was sure I would've played dominos with the plants that lined the entranceway. Thankfully though, I stopped moving when I felt the hand over my mouth. She thinks of everything beforehand it seems.

"You're late," I hissed.

"By a minute," Haibara scoffed. She was crouched down beside me with her school backpack. I raised an eyebrow at it. "It has important things," she explained, not caring to elaborate.

I sighed. "Whatever. But they're having a meeting at this hotel today."

Haibara's eyes widened. "I thought you just chose this because it's a popular meeting place." Now, you have to understand that Haibara's normally calm and composed, but we're talking about spying on the men who had killed her sister and captured her so that she'd had to escape through an air vent. **[A/N: I think she escaped through an air vent anyways. I can't remember anymore; I'm on episode 400-something so it was months ago when I learned about her escaping the BO]** _Anyone _would've been scared.

"It's in Room 113."

"That's not a very lucky number," Haibara murmured.

"And we're very luck people," I shot back. "How many people have eaten that pill?"

"….."

"And how many have survived – that we know of, at least?"

"Two."

"So I think it all balances out," I said, checking my watch. We still had about ten minutes to scope out the place and find a way to listen in.

I peered around the bush at the entrance. Good. The doorman was helping a rich guy out of a limo, so he won't notice if two little kids sneak in.

I darted out from behind and motioned to Haiabra. Together, we strolled casually through the revolving doors, but we sprinted for the cover of the back stairs as soon as we entered, hoping that we wouldn't get noticed by anyone.

"No one goes up these stairs so we'll be safe," I said, leaning against the wall for breath. I can't believe how fast I run out of breath in this tiny body, even though I've been in it for over half a year. **[A/N: It seems like forever, since the anime **_**does **_**seem to be going on like that, but I can't really say that so I wrote half a year] **

Suddenly, Haibara grabbed my arm and pulled me to hide under the stairs. **[A/N: You know how there's two stairs, one going up and one going down side by side? They're under the one going up because there's some room between that and the floor]**

"What did you do that for?" I demanded, almost tripping from the sudden movement. "Now we only have eight minutes! Do you know that every minute is – mph!" My eyes widened in surprise as my mouth was covered by Haibara's hand.

"Don't talk," she whisper-hissed. _It's not like I can anyways, _I thought, but I waited for her to continue; there had to be a reason why she stopped me so suddenly. "Can't you _hear_?"

I focused on my ears and, sure enough, after some straining, I could hear faint footsteps on metal stairs. As I looked up, my breath caught in my throat as I caught sight of a trailing black coat and black boots. There were at least two people – probably men, by the heaviness of each step and they were talking in low murmurs and I couldn't hear them. Unless….

The doctor's invention! Dr. Agasa had come up with a new invention for the ear that would help me hear from a long distance. It was probably because during a recent case, I'd been too close to what Kogoro and Megure were discussing and had to stay in the hospital for a week because of the hit I got on the head by Kogoro. The doc probably thought I'd get into less trouble with the old man if he invented something like that. As if!

Still, I would have to thank the doc later on because now was the perfect time to use it. It was basically a stick circular patch that "enhanced the hearing by connecting with the nerves" or something (I'm not the best at technology, okay?) and all I had to do was stick it inside my ear.

I had two and was planning on putting one in each ear but decided that I should let Haibara have one; we were partners in this thing after all. Besides, she had warned me about the men in the first place and I couldn't even begin to imagine what she'd do if I didn't let her listen in too.

I carefully pealed the backing off of mine and stuck it in my ear, then tilted my head upwards. Still, I could only catch phrases. Those guys must have had practice at this quiet-talking thing.

"– plan is working well…..boss says that we'll be finished by…."

"That's not possible!" the other guy erupted and I winced at the sudden raise of voice. My poor eardrum.

"Shut up!" #1 hissed. "Do you know" – he lowered his voice drastically – "how much _trouble _we'd get in if we're discovered here?" _Well, _someone's_ discovered you here,_ I thought smugly. _Although if that's good or bad for you depends on the outcome,_ I admitted. "Anyways, did you…..?"

"Yes! Stop treating me like I'm below you!"

"You _are_. I'm your superior – by quite a lot, actually – so I don't know _why _they decided to send someone like me to babysit you."

I rolled my eyes at Haibara and mouthed, "Are you sure?" Because those guys sure didn't sound like they were from the Black Organization; they sounded like they were three-year-olds arguing over a toy. Haibara nodded once.

I sighed and shifted my position slightly so I was seated more comfortably on the tile floor; it seemed like I'd be there for a while. I didn't worry that much about making noise because, from what I could gather, those idiots up there couldn't tell if we were standing right in front of them (not that I'd ever take that chance).

Haibara shot a glare at me and I gave her the 'What's the big deal?' smirk. "Just don't come crawling to me when they discover us," she snapped.

I decided that it was best to be as silent as possible from then on.

"Now look," #1 was saying. "We have to make sure we were not followed, got it? This is a _secret meeting _and if we're caught, we're dead." #2 started to laugh, but I guess #1 silenced him because he soon stopped. "The higher-ups are serious about what they say; we _will _die if we fail this." And so will we if we're discovered, so we're all good. "Very well. Did you get the number?"

"In my pocket."

"Good. We'll go five minutes after the time."

"Why?"

"Because I said so. Now shut up and keep an eye on the watch; this has to be done perfectly."

"So then why are we going late?"

"To make an entrance."

"_Ohhh_. So you just want them to notice you."

"_No_. This is how _every _B.O. member does it so shut your mouth otherwise I'll shut it for you." I could hear the very clear clicking of the safety latch on a gun. Oh boy. And I thought they were unarmed. Obviously though, nothing I did would be that easy.

I flipped open my phone and texted Haibara. However, I was _not _a girl and it took some time for me to get a coherent word out of the tiny keys.

Haibara had first looked at me like I was mental, but then when she realized what I was doing, her eyes widened. _Crap_!_ She has her phone on a _ringtone, I realized. I did _not _think of that possibility; I always had my phone on vibrate, just in case I was in the middle of an explanation for Kogoro and someone called.

Thankfully, Haibara managed to intercept the text just as it reached her phone so it was opened before her phone could alert her.

_We must intercept them before they leave. They should be heading out down these stairs so if we set some traps, I think we'll be good._

Haibara rolled her eyes at me and then began to type, her thumbs flying across her keyboard. _Women._

_I take it uve never txt b4. Txtings supposed 2 SHORTEN things baka & ur plans stupid. Have fun_

"It's time," the one in charge said. "I will be behind me but don't look back; they only expect one." _So that means…_ "Once the door's opened, flatten yourself against a wall. I'll start shooting and then you can join in."

"So what? I'm just used as bait while you get to take all the credit?"

"Since I'm starting the shooting, then aren't I more likely to get killed? If you want to switch, I'm all for it."

I could actually hear the second guy shiver in fright. "N-no. I'm good; you go be the bad guy."

"Good. Now go." The first guy shoved his partner and he probably stumbled because there was a thump before footsteps could be heard thundering up the steps.

I turned to Haibara, wide-eyed. "They're gonna kill them even before they see them," I whispered, still afraid that if I spoke normally they might hear us.

Haibara shrugged nonchalantly, taking out a notebook and a pencil from her backpack.

"You're going to _doodle_?" I exclaimed.

"Homework," Haibara corrected, narrowing her eyes at me. "Since you just _had _to drag me this pointless spying."

"Haibara –"

"Save it Kudo," she snapped, her eyes not leaving her notebook. "I don't want your pity."

But I wasn't going to gush about how sorry I was; I knew Haibara well enough that she would retreat even further into the "Ai-chan" shell.

I flipped open my phone; it seemed like texting was the only way to get my point across now:

_Its started already; we wont have enough time for traps._

**Sky: It always helps if there's reviews. I might even be able to squeeze in a chapter before I leave for China…. [mischievous]**

**Conan: Yeah right. You're not fooling **_**me**_**.**

**Sky: Who says I'm **_**trying **_**to fool you?**

**Conan: **_**Excuse **_**me?**

**Ran [while Conan and Sky fight it out]: Like Sky said: Reviews help! (Sky: **_**See**_**? Conan: Ran's one of the nicest people out there. Sonoko: **_**Pardon**_**? Ran [sighs]: Don't mind them) **


End file.
